Archives › Bob Harkins
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The Seattle Mariners were blown out by the Texas Rangers again on Thursday, this time 12-3 in a game in which the Mariners allowed an astounding eight unearned runs. Seattle dropped a season-worst 14 games below .500 and has been outscored 31-6 in its last three games, all losses to the AL West-leading Rangers. Seattle…
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All sorts of interesting things can happen late in the MLB draft. The San Francisco Giants, for instance, selected former Notre Dame receiver Golden Tate on Wednesday in the 50th round, eight picks from the end. This despite the fact that Tate has already joined the Seattle Seahawks, and was just nabbed for a late…
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I guess when you play long enough for the Kansas City Royals, you start to think about undertaking more enjoyable career paths. Case in point: Willie Bloomquist and Jason Kendall want to be Olympic bobsledders. I’m not kidding. Rustin Dodd Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star has all the information in his blog. In…
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This is a pretty good time to be a Washington Nationals fan. Yes, they are currently sitting in their customary position at the bottom of the NL East, but if you’re a follower of the artists formerly known as Les Expos, you’ve got to be brimming with optimism this week. On Monday, the Nats will…
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The folks over at Wezen-Ball have been timing every MLB home run trot this season. It’s a fun and interesting feature, and if you haven’t already you should definitely go here to check it out. So far this season, David Ortiz holds six of the seven slowest trot times, while Adam Rosales has the three fastest…
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Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, exasperated with his team’s offense, did the ol’ lineup shakeup for Tuesday’s game against the Pirates, inserting Tyler Colvin, Xavier Nady, Jeff Baker and Koyie Hill into the lineup as Marlon Byrd, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto grabbed some pine. Benching all of those guys in the…
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The Yankees, Red Sox, and perhaps, the Rays. That was the common thinking on how the AL East race would go entering the season. The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t listen to those projections and enter the week at 30-22. They’re only in third place and 4 1/2 games back. But their record would be good enough…
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Evan Longoria is 24 years old. In his third season in the majors, he’s already a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, and arguably the best player on the best team in baseball. His face is on video game boxes and television commercials (see below), and he just might be on the way to replacing…
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We’ve certainly managed to squeeze a lot of mileage out of the Hanley Ramirez incident over the last couple of days. Yes, he loafed. Yes, it was a bad thing. But now, after his apology to his team – and, even better, a three-hit game in a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday –…
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Remember the novelty of Interleague play when it first came into existence back in 1997? Fans in Atlanta could see the New York Yankees in person. NL greats like Barry Bonds and John Smoltz would make appearances in AL cities. And places with multiple teams playing in separate leagues – like Chicago, New York, Los…
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We learned last week that former pitching great John Smoltz was going to play in a local qualifier in hopes of advancing to play in one of golf’s biggest tournaments: the U.S. Open. Unfortunately, we find out today that Smoltz, despite carrying a 2-handicap, came up short. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: He didn’t embarrass himself,…
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It’s reunion time in Detroit as the New York Yankees come to town to take on the Tigers. And this means the Yankees get a chance to see Johnny Damon and show him how little they miss him. OK, so that’s a bit harsh, but at 21-9, New York is cruising right along. Remember the…
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After going 3-for-32 and earning his release from the Seattle Mariners, it didn’t take long for Eric Byrnes to land on his feet. The 34-year-old outfielder, who once stole 50 bases for the Arizona Diamondbacks (a feat the D-backs are still paying for), has earned a roster spot with a rec league softball team sponsored…
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Even though he has yet to find a team interested in his services for the 2010 season, John Smoltz isn’t ready to call it quits. He might, however, be getting a head start on a post-baseball career on the golf course. Smoltz, a future Hall of Fame pitcher who is working as a broadcaster for MLB…
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The Boston Red Sox were swept by the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. I’ll let you take a moment to read that again. Yes, we know that it’s a long season and teams have their ups and downs, but this is the Orioles we’re talking about. A team that was 2-16 not so long ago,…
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It’s a little bit late since the Great Joe Maddon Hoodie Controversy was solved last week, but the Tampa Bay Rays manager nonetheless received some support in his quest for wardrobe freedom when he received a hoodie in the mail from none other than Patriots coach – and noted hoodie enthusiast — Bill Belichick. The…
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Cliff Lee was dominant in his rehab start on Sunday for Triple-A Tacoma, tossing six shutout innings against Salt Lake. The former AL Cy Young winner threw only 68 pitches, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out four. Two of the hits were a bunt single and a fly ball that the center…
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Heading into the season, the common phrase bandied about regarding the Baltimore Orioles was “they’re on the right track.” Sure, no one really expected them to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in the AL East, but at least they were stockpiling some promising young talent and looking like they had the potential to…
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Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said on Wednesday that Cliff Lee will make a rehab start in Triple-A on Sunday. (As you can tell by the photo, they’re quite excited about his arrival in Tacoma!) Then assuming there are no setbacks, he will make his regular season debut for the Mariners on April 30 against…
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The Florida Marlins are full of potential. The question has always been whether or not they can realize that potential before their young stars get too expensive and are sold off to their richer competitors. But this weekend, the promising young Fish showed that they just might realize their potential this season after taking two…
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Ozzie Guillen has a contract to manage the Chicago White Sox through the 2012 season. But he knows that a manager’s job is always tenuous. So what happens if he gets fired? He’s already contemplating the possibility, according to the Chicago Tribune, and has no problem with the idea of being a future retread manager.…
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Cliff Lee appeals suspension, says injury led to poor control
Apr 14, 2010, 9:33 PM EDT
Cliff Lee got his day in court on Wednesday, and he certainly can’t complain about being shortchanged on time. The Mariners left-hander spoke with baseball executives for two-plus hours via conference call as he appealed the five-game suspension he was handed for throwing a pitch over the head of Arizona’s Chris Snyder during a spring…
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At least smallest crowd in Camden Yards history has star power
Apr 13, 2010, 12:49 AM EDT
Remember the excitement when Camden Yards opened its gates 19 years ago? It was a beautiful baseball cathedral, combining modern day amenities with old-school charm and ushering in a new era in baseball. Goodbye cookie-cutter, multi-purpose stadiums. Hello expensive, eye-catching, baseball-only parks. The trend swept through the sport, with the Minnesota Twins being the latest…
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Randy Johnson was back on a mound on Monday night, throwing out the first pitch in the Seattle Mariners’ home opener against the Oakland A’s. The future Hall of Famer, who rose to prominence in Seattle (winning the 1995 Cy Young) before moving on to win four more Cy Youngs and a World Series title…
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For the first time since 1981, the Minnesota Twins will be playing a regular season home game outdoors when they host the Boston Red Sox on Monday. The special occasion is the opening of Target Field, a sparkling new venue that opens its doors just nine years after folks were seriously considering contracting the Twins.…
